A global metabarcoding analysis expands molecular diversity of Platyhelminthes and reveals novel early-branching clades.

ABSTRACT: Understanding biological diversity is crucial for ecological and evolutionary studies. Even though a great part of animal diversity has already been documented, both morphological surveys and metabarcoding analyses have previously shown that some animal groups, such as Platyhelminthes, may harbour hidden diversity. To better understand the molecular diversity of Platyhelminthes, one of the most diverse and biomedically important animal phyla, we here combined data from six marine and two freshwater metabarcoding expeditions that cover a broad variety of aquatic habitats and analysed the data by phylogenetic placement. Our results show that a great part of the hidden diversity is located in early-branching clades such as Catenulida and Macrostomorpha, as well as in late-diverging clades suc

SUBMITTER: Mitsi K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6769146 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature